


I'll Never Forget You

by DeadmanDairyland



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 09:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16910151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadmanDairyland/pseuds/DeadmanDairyland
Summary: Makoto Naegi is invited to Hope's Peak Academy, and he hopes to make friends. He does, and one of those friends leaves enough of an impact on him that he believes he could never forget him.Spoiler Alert: He does.





	I'll Never Forget You

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally posted on Tumblr on April 20, 2016.
> 
> I'm posting it here for two reasons: because the world needs more Naehiro and because I don't trust Tumblr to not randomly delete my blog at some point.

Makoto Naegi gazed up at the imposing school before him: Hope’s Peak Academy, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. It still boggled his mind that he was chosen to become a student at this high school, even if he had just won a lottery to get in. It was the kind of place that guaranteed success.

Though remaining optimistic, Naegi didn’t expect to be fully accepted by the other students. They were extremely talented individuals that worked hard to get here. He, on the other hand, was just an ordinary guy who got lucky. He certainly would  _try_  to get along with everyone, and maybe even make a good friend or two, but he wasn’t delusional. Some of them were sure to think he didn’t belong there, and he had accepted this fact.

Still, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him. He would get to meet some of the world’s greatest child prodigies. He would have friends and connections in high places. Hell, just having new friends was a great thought on its own. He couldn’t wait to meet his fellow classmates.

“I just have to hope I won’t do anything stupid,” he said to himself.

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi was flat on the cafeteria floor, face first in his tray of food. Stifled laughter and giggles could be heard throughout the room. Some had wondered if the nearby troublemaker Junko Enoshima had tripped him. In reality, he had tripped over his own foot.

“So much for first impressions,” Naegi said under his breath. While he had been introduced to his fellow classmates earlier in the day, their lunch hour was the first time they really got to interact with each other as peers. And so far this year was starting off pretty bad for him.

He picked up his tray and sat at a nearby table, thinking he was its sole occupant until a delicate hand offered him a napkin.

“H-here… Naegi, was it?”

Naegi’s eyes followed the arm up to its owner, a timid girl with brown hair. “Uh, thank you, um… Fujisaki, right?”

Fujisaki nodded and smiled at him with pity. “You have something…” She gestured toward her head.

Naegi mirrored her actions and felt something sitting on his head. Taking it off to look at it, he saw it was a cup of noodles. “So that’s where that went.”

Fujisaki giggled, but unlike the others it was friendly and sweet. Naegi blushed and focused on his food, but he continued speaking with his new acquaintance. “So… you’re a programmer, right?”

“Uh, yes. That–that is correct.”

Realizing Fujisaki must be shy from how she was speaking, and the fact that she was sitting alone until he showed up, Naegi apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t think to ask. Is it okay if I sit here?”

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “It’s nice to meet you, Naegi.” She paused for a moment, as if deciding whether she should say something or not. In the end, she went ahead with it. “D-do you think we could hang out sometime?”

That took Naegi by surprise. Did he already make a friend? And with a girl, too? Though unexpected, Naegi was certainly okay with this. He could tell Fujisaki was a sweetheart, and if she was asking  _him_  to be her friend, she probably wanted to make new friends just like he did.

“Sure!” he responded, perhaps too enthusiastically as Fujisaki awkwardly went back to her food with a sheepish grin. Apologizing a second time, he focused on eating once more. It suddenly occurred to him that they were still in the cafeteria surrounded by their peers, some of whom were nosing in on their conversation.  _Hopefully,_  Naegi thought to himself, _everyone will forget how awkward this is._

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi sat next to his new friend in the computer lab, watching her code. It was amazing to him how fast she typed and how focused she was on her project. But then again what else did he expect from the Ultimate Programmer?

“So why did you want to watch me code anyway?” Fujisaki asked him. “I mean, I don’t really mind anymore, but this must be boring to you, right?”

“No way!” Naegi reassured her. “I mean, sure, I have no idea what you’re doing, but I think this stuff’s kinda cool. I mean… when I play video games, it’s like… to me it’s like an interactive movie, or a story or something, right? But I know to somebody else it’s, like, a bunch of numbers and code and text like this, and it’s like…  _wow_ , you know?”

Fujisaki giggled and nodded. “Yep, pretty much. Me personally, I love to find bugs in games and guess why they occur. Where did the code go wrong? What was missing? Did they forget to program something in? Did they run out of time to program something in? It’s fascinating to me.”

“I bet.” Naegi’s eyes went back and forth between the adorably determined Fujisaki and the flowing river of text on the screen. “Honestly, I think the coolest thing about this is, you know, you don’t hear of many girls being interested in this kind of thing.”

Fujisaki stopped typing. “W-what do you mean?”

“Uh, well…” Naegi turned away, worried that he might have struck a nerve. “It’s just not that common, I guess? But what do I know, right? You’re the expert on this stuff. You know way more about these things than I do.”

Fujisaki’s eyes began to fill up with tears. “Y-you think I’m weird, don’t you?”

“What?“ Naegi turned back to her, his concerns having been confirmed. “No! Of course not!”  _What have I done?_  he thought to himself.  _I need to make this right!_  “You’re awesome, Fujisaki! You’re really smart and you know all this cool stuff. I think you might be the coolest person I’ve ever met!”

The look on Fujisaki’s face slowly turned from sadness to disbelief. “Oh, you don’t m-mean that. ‘C-Cool’ is not a word I would use to describe myself.”

“It’s a word  _I’d_  use to describe you.”

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Fujisaki saved her file and stood up. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this, Naegi. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to be left alone for a while.”

“S-sorry.” Naegi stared down at his lap, cursing himself as he felt he may have just lost his new friend. They had gotten along so well in the few months they had known each other, but now it appeared like he had put his foot in his mouth.

“I-it’s not you. Honest,” Fujisaki said, her voice still broken up but far more composed than earlier. “I just need to think.”

“…Okay,” Naegi said as Fujisaki left the computer lab.  _Hopefully,_  Naegi thought to himself,  _this will soon be just a bad memory._

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi was catching up with his childhood friend Sayaka Maizono when Fujisaki tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Naegi? C-Can I speak with you in private?”

“Um, sure.” Naegi was surprised at this. While he stayed on good terms with Fujisaki since the incident in the computer lab, they had drifted apart quite a bit, only talking to each other on rare occasions to be friendly. Naegi wanted to start hanging out with her again, but he gave her the space she needed, knowing that Fujisaki would eventually talk to him more if she wanted to.

As she lead him toward the dorms, he noticed she was scratching her arm. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, y-yeah. It’s a mosquito bite.” She rolled up her sleeve to look at it, and Naegi noticed just how big the bite was.

“Wow, that bug really bit you, huh?”

“Yeah. But, y’know, it’s okay. Poor thing was just hungry, right?”

“So you let it bite you?”

“Yeah.”

_This girl literally wouldn’t hurt a fly,_  Naegi thought to himself.  _Could she be any sweeter?_

Naegi cleared his throat. Now was not the time to have such awkward thoughts. “You still shouldn’t scratch it, though.” He gestured his arm out. “Give me your arm.”

Fujisaki laughed. “What?” But it soon became clear to her than he was serious. “Um, o-okay.” She held her arm out, and Naegi took it. Fujisaki blushed, but stayed silent.

Naegi focused on the bite, and used the fingernail of his free index finger to make a cross on it. Fujisaki quickly noticed that the bite was less itchy than it was before.

“What?” She took her arm back and stared at the bite. “It… how…  _whoa!_  Uh, thank you, Naegi. I didn’t know I could do that.”

“Just wanted to help out,” Naegi said with a smile.

Fujisaki smiled back. “I really appreciate that.” The smile was soon replaced by a look of worry and cautiousness. “Hey, I need to tell you something important, okay? I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. The truth is, I think I really trust you and I don’t know if I… trust you enough, but I want to think I do because…” She trailed off when the tears started coming.

It was hard for Naegi to see sweet little Fujisaki cry. He held his hand out in a sympathetic gesture. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything. But I promise I’m here for you if you need me. Everything is going to be okay.”

Once the tears stopped, Fujisaki sniffled and nodded. “Okay. I-I think I’m ready. Please, come with me.”

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi held his friend Chihiro Fujisaki as the programmer wept happily into Makoto’s jacket. Chihiro didn’t expect to be so easily accepted by the first person he told his secret to, and the emotions he was feeling right now were overwhelming. He was also happy Makoto was okay with holding him, because he really needed it. He didn’t want to be alone right now.

“Do… do you think the others will accept me?”

“I don’t know,” Makoto admitted. “But I’ll always be here if you need me. That won’t change.”

“Th-thank you.” Chihiro wiped away his tears. “I’ll never forget this. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Chihiro.”

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi watched as his fellow students barricaded the windows of the school. He still couldn’t believe this was happening, but he had to stay hopeful. The world was ending, and Class 78 of Hope’s Peak Academy needed to be strong for the outside world. Hell on Earth wouldn’t stop their friendship or their roles as the hope of the future.

He turned to Chihiro, noticing he looked as determined as ever. In the past couple of years Makoto had seen the programmer turn from a timid introvert with a horrible past of constant bullying to one of the happiest people in the school who was friends with everyone. No one was going to take that away from Chihiro, and Makoto knew it.

Still, once the project was completed, Chihiro showed up at Makoto’s door, admitting he was scared.

“What’s going to happen to everyone? What’s going to happen to us if whatever’s out there makes its way in here?”

Makoto hugged Chihiro and reassured him that everything was fine. “There’s no way they can get in here, Chihiro. You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be okay.”

“I believe you,” Chihiro said, but Makoto knew he was still scared. “Makoto, is it okay if I stay here tonight? I just… really don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Of course you can.”

Both Makoto and Chihiro offered to sleep on the floor, but both refused the others’ offer. “You know what, it’s okay. I trust you,” Chihiro said, getting into the bed.

“A-are you sure?” Makoto started to blush, and Chihiro giggled as well as he could in their situation.

“I know you’re not going to do anything. It’s okay.” Chihiro jokingly patted the area of the bed next to him in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Makoto awkwardly got into bed, but quickly became comfortable once he was in.

“This is weird,” Makoto admitted.

“Is it?” Chihiro questioned.

“Well it’s not a bad weird. Just… I don’t know.”

“Makoto?”

“What?”

“I… Er, we’re going to be in here for a while. Possibly our whole lives.” Chihiro frowned when he thought about that, but shook the thought out of his head. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to say this.”

“Say what?”

Chihiro hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to go through with it. “Makoto, I want you to know something. These past two years have been the happiest of my life. I feel like you have played a huge part in that. And I feel like… uh…” Chihiro took a deep breath before continuing. “I feel like I may feel something toward you that I don’t… understand, you know?”

Makoto blushed again. “Uh, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“…Maybe?” Chihiro tapped his fingers together awkwardly. “I don’t know what it feels like, and I’m not sure if I’ve felt it before, but I feel something. Mostly in my chest and my stomach.” He turned away from Makoto, now blushing himself. “I… Do you… Could you hold me for tonight? I think I’m still… worried about everything.”

Makoto was surprised to hear Chihiro asking these things. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the programmer either, but he could tell there was something there. Chihiro’s smile never failed to light up his day, and seeing how far Chihiro had come was one of his favorite things he had ever gotten the privilege to witness, let alone be a part of. There was no way he could deny Chihiro right now, mostly because a part of him wanted to cuddle him every time he saw him, but also because he wanted to be there for Chihiro and help him whenever he needed it.

So Makoto agreed and held Chihiro in his arms. “Th-thank you,” Chihiro said, flustered but relaxed. “No m-matter what happens next, or where we go from here, I will never forget you, or all the things you’ve done for me.”

“I’ll never forget you either,” Makoto replied, and they fell asleep together.

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi wakes up in a classroom.  _How did I get here?_  he wonders. He looks around the room and sees the windows are bolted shut.  _What happened here? The last thing I remember is arriving at Hope’s Peak. Is this… Am I in Hope’s Peak Academy?_

He leaves the room to look for answers. He eventually comes across his fellow peers in the main entry hall of the school.  _They must all be students here_ , he thinks.

Among the students is a timid girl with brown hair. As they introduce themselves to each other, she looks at him curiously. “It might just be my imagination, but… have we met before?”

“Uh… I don’t think so,” Naegi says.

“Oh, sorry…”

 

* * *

 

Makoto Naegi wakes up in a bed. He sees an IV in his arm, and figures out he must be in a hospital. Beyond that, his brain is fuzzy, but he can make out some people standing in front of him.

“He’s awake!”

“Welcome back, Makoto.”

Makoto’s head clears up, and he recognizes his visitors, Kyoko Kirigiri and Aoi Asahina. Hina looks like she has been crying. Kyoko looks like she wants to, but is holding back tears.

Next to them are people Makoto has never seen before, but he quickly figures out they’re doctors. “You two really shouldn’t be in here right now,” one of the doctors says, but the girls ignore his advice.

“Makoto,” Kyoko calls to get his attention. “If you are able to speak to me now, then please answer my question. Do you remember anything?”

At first Makoto isn’t sure what Kyoko is talking about, but then he remembers everything. The school. The murders. The trials. The bear. But he also remembers events from before–memories he had once lost.

Makoto begins to cry, and he cannot stop.

 

* * *

 

“You know, you’re a bit of a nuisance.”

“…”

“Things would have gone less awry if you hadn’t tried to save those kids.”

“…”

“We’d still have the Neo World Program.”

“…”

“Well, this is a shame. But I guess what’s done is done. Here.”

Byakuya Togami hands Makoto Naegi a USB drive.

“It’s the drive Alter Ego is on. The head of the Future Foundation asked me to get rid of it. They’re saying it takes up too much space on the hard drive, and they don’t want it to get into the wrong hands.”

“I see.” Makoto knows what this means. Alter Ego is the only thing left, the only remnant of Chihiro that still exists. And soon it will also die.

Byakuya clicks his tongue. “You know, I’m trying to be nice here. They want me to destroy it, but you and I both know that is not an option.” He places a hand on Makoto’s shoulder. “Everyone looks up to you for hope, but I know who  _you_  look up to. The truth is, if it weren’t for Fujisaki we would have never made it out alive. Keep it safe. Fujisaki should be remembered.”

“…Right.” Makoto places the drive in his pocket and walks away. He tries to smile, but he still finds it hard to. Chihiro Fujisaki is dead, and there is no going back now. But Makoto feels that the six students who beat the Mastermind and fought off the world of darkness should not be the only ones who deserve to be called heroes.

Makoto walks a few steps forward and looks up to the sky. It looks clearer and sunnier than usual.

“I’ll never forget you, Chihiro.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's also probably worth noting that since this was originally posted in April of 2016 that I wrote this before Danganronpa 3 aired. Does it show? Probably.


End file.
